Keep 'It' Between Us
by Edward the VIII
Summary: Naruto and Sakura are together now, but that's not the end of it all. Hinata can't help but continue to long after the blonde, even as an Uchiha creeps into her life. SasuHina. Sequel to 'Two Thousand Yen'.
1. Chapter 1

**This is what you'd call a 'sorta not really' sequel to my one-shot, 'Two Thousand Yen'. Read that story if you want a complete picture of what's going on, though you should be able to figure out the basics just by reading this. This will be multiple chapters long. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _Ring_.

She looked up, mouth half-open in greeting. "Welcome—" she began, before pausing, eyes widening a tad.

A man shuffled into the cafe, slid himself in a booth, and proceeded to pull out his phone and begin to type something into it.

She blinked.

After dropping off a refill of water at the single table she had, the woman wiped her hands off on her apron, then timidly stepped over to where the man had sat down.

"I—I'm sorry, but Sakura-san isn't here to-today," said the waitress.

He glanced up at her, brow knitted together.

"Okay?" he said, voice low.

She stared at him for a long, awkward moment, mouth slightly open. "W-well," she said. "Wouldn't you and Naruto-kun prefer her as a waitress?"

The man couldn't help but chuckle. "Not me." He put away his phone, folding his hands upon the table. "If you're the only person here, then I suppose you'll have to serve me."

She gulped. "I-I suppose so." She gave a little cough, clearing her throat, before starting thusly, "H-hello, I'm H-Hinata and I'll—"

He raised a hand. "I already know who you are," said the man. "You already know what I want to drink. Cut the theatrics."

Hinata frowned. "Very w-well," mumbled the woman.

Pulling his phone back out, he focused on that as she strode away. A moment later she returned, coffee in hand, and set it down in front of him.

"Enjoy," she said quickly, before speeding away as her other table waved her down.

Five minutes later, she came back to check on him; he hadn't finished a third of his coffee. She made to simply leave him be—she figured he liked his privacy—but, something kept her rooted to the floor beside him. A question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"W-where's Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, anxiety creeping into her tone as the man's dark gaze swiveled up to stare right into her eyes.

"Sick," he said simply.

"Oh."

She bit her lip.

"Y-you still decided to come here?" The words came spilling forth before she could stop them. "W-without him?"

He shrugged.

"The coffee's good," was his reply.

Hinata nodded slowly. "I-I'll leave you to it," she mumbled, tip-toeing away rather awkwardly.

Her other table paid then left, leaving her with just the man in the restaurant. She went into the back. Her bag was resting, nestled in a corner—she reached into it, pulling out her phone.

She went to her contacts, tapped the phone icon beside a specific one, then put the cellphone to her ear.

It was nearly five rings before someone picked up the phone.

" _Hello?"_ said a man on the other end of the line.

Hinata blinked.

She'd called Sakura. Her very _female_ friend.

But she also recognized the voice.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata said, voice a whisper.

" _Hey, uh… Hinata... what are ya callin' Sakura-chan for?"_

She froze. "To talk t-to h-her," Hinata managed to get out.

" _Sorry, she's a bit—uh, preoccupied."_ A pause—she could imagine the cheshire grin on his face. _"Actually, she's about to be very preoccupied, so—"_

" _You idiot!"_ a voice roared in the background. There was the sound of Naruto wheezing, likely from being punched in the gut, and then the phone was taken away from him. _"Hey, Hinata; what'd you need?"_

"Oh, I-I was just calling to… check up on you. I thought you were sick."

" _Nah. That'd suck, wouldn't it? My first day off in ages and I get sick!"_ She laughed. _"I'm just 'hanging out' with my boyfriend."_ Another chuckle, this one mildly lecherous. _"How are things there?"_

"F-fine."

" _Good, good,"_ said Sakura. _"Ah—stop that, you, I'm on the phone!"_

"S-Sakura-san?"

" _Sorry, Hinata, I gotta go."_ Sakura's voice sounded a little strained, wavering between frustration and—pleasure? _"Talk to you later, okay?"_

"Okay—"

 _Click._ The line went dead.

Hinata lowered the phone.

Her heart thumped in her chest—her fingers tightened around her cellphone to the point where her wrist shook violently.

When she came out of the back, there was still just the man in the building; no one else had come in.

She looked composed—natural. She was a waitress, she knew how to leave that sort of stuff away from the job she did.

The man glanced up. Dark hair gleaming in the light, looking almost blue for a moment. His coal colored eyes stared right into her soul… she stopped in her tracks as she turned toward him.

After a moment, his gaze let up. A compression that had settled over chest lightened—with a sigh of relief, she disappeared into the back once more, to get him a refill of the coffee she'd noticed he had finished.

When she came back out into the front, however, he'd gone.

There was money for coffee on the table, the exact amount it cost.

Hinata frowned slightly. Something was nagging at her, but she couldn't put her finger on what exactly.

As she gently picked up the money the man had left, _that_ sound popped into her head again. Of Sakura's lecherous giggle, of Naruto acting so happy, so free, so sated.

She blinked.

And found that she'd crushed the bills into a ball in her hand.

Eyes watery, she disappeared into the back, hastily unfolding the money, cringing at the wrinkles she had made.

Thank God her shift wasn't to last much longer, she thought.

* * *

The next day, it was her and her friend Ino on the floor in the afternoon. Sakura and another girl had worked the morning. It wasn't that busy— actually, it seemed that Hinata was to be allowed to go home before long.

"Come on, people!" muttered an irate Ino, who was sitting in a corner of the room with Hinata, adjusting her long and luscious blonde hair, which was done up in a ponytail. "It's bright and beautiful outside—just come in!"

Hinata scanned the room carefully, ensuring that the two tables she had didn't need anything. She was used to her blonde co-worker's rants about people not coming in—she did the same thing, but opposite, when too many people came in. She'd long since learned to simply go along with whatever she was saying.

The door rang; Ino and Hinata both threw their gaze to the front.

The man was there, Naruto's friend. Hinata swore that Ino was drooling over him, her friend's eyes not hesitating in the least to drink in the man's gorgeous fair skin and dark eyes.

He hesitated at the door. His gaze flitted from side to side. Then, he looked at Hinata—then at Ino. With Ino, he gave a tiny shake of his head, though the girl in question seemed not to notice. With Hinata, he gave a look of—pleading? At least, as pleading as someone like that could get.

Naruto had been in there with that man so many times that the two of them both knew how sections worked; when two servers were on, the place was essentially divided in half between the two of them. But there was nothing that could tell him which was Ino's and which was Hinata's—and it was clear which he wanted.

Hinata almost felt… pity.

She didn't want to sentence him to being drooled over by Ino for the few minutes he was.

So, she made eye contact with him, shaking and turning pale as she did so. She could hear Ino whispering, almost hypnotically—"Sit in my section, sit in my section, pleeeeaasseee…"

Hinata swallowed.

Her friend or this stranger? Ino would be a little disappointed about not getting him, but her giving him to Ino could potentially ruin his entire day.

She directed her gaze to her own section. Then made eye contact with the man and nodded.

He gave her something of an appreciative look, but crossing the room and sliding into an empty booth. Ino wilted. "Aww," she mumbled.

Hinata disappeared into the back. A moment later, she returned with the same coffee the man always ordered, gently sliding it in front of him.

"Thanks," said the man.

She blinked.

"H-huh?"

"For not making me suffer with Ino." A pause as he took a sip of his drink. "The day before yesterday, I came in and she was the only person here." He frowned. "I think you get the idea."

"I-I see," mumbled Hinata. She fidgeted with the end of her cream-white skirt. "W-why—" She found herself freezing as the man looked up at her. The words got stuck in her throat.

"Why what?" he asked.

She was stuck between two options: asking the question she'd meant to ask, or running in the other direction. And while the latter was rather tempting, she was a professional, and this was a paying customer. She couldn't afford to make him uncomfortable.

"W-why did y-you l-lie yesterday?" Hinata blurted.

"Lie?"

"A-about S-Sakura-san being sick." She swallowed once more. "I called h-her before y-you left, and she was with… N-Naruto-kun."

The man closed his eyes.

"Great," he said at long last. "I try to be considerate for _once_ and it backfires."

"H-huh?"

He looked up at her. "Did you want me to tell you that the idiot and his girlfriend were off screwing each other?"

She paused. "Y-yes, I—" Another pause. "... no…" she admitted reluctantly. "Y-you know, t-that's their personal business and I w-wouldn't have wanted t-to intrude on them or anything!"

"Or," the man said, "you're in love with that idiot, Naruto."

In the span of a few milliseconds, her face turned from a cutesy pink to not red, not crimson, but a vibrant _vermillion_. The chefs in the back could have used her cheeks to cook eggs.

"W-w-w-w-what…?" she stammered out. "W-what w-would make you t-think t-that?!"

"It's not exactly _subtle_ ," the man said patronizingly. "I remember you waiting on Naruto and I the few times we came in and Sakura was too swamped with her own tables to take us. It was obvious to me then, and it's only gotten more obvious."

"M-more obvious?"

"You think I don't notice you staring at him from across the room whenever we're here?"

Her blush turned even more dark; if that was possible.

"E-enjoy your coffee, sir," Hinata stammered, before practically sprinting in the direction of the back.

* * *

He watched her go.

Poor thing.

Sure, he was grouchy and irritable, but even he wasn't the type to kick a whimpering puppy—at least, not on most days.

And Hinata..

Well, he had a soft spot for her. She reminded him, dimly, of his mother. And that went a long way for someone like him.

He took a sip of his coffee; good coffee, strong, too.

Great. He could almost hear his brother's voice in his head— _'Maybe you ought to have been a little more tactful in that exchange, Sasuke.'_

Maybe, but he wasn't exactly the type to exercise tact. Been there, done that—it wasn't for him.

Another sip of his coffee.

It was a few minutes before Hinata came back out. She was a pretty girl, Sasuke was forced to grudgingly admit. Big, innocent white eyes. The all-white clothes the waitresses wore suited her. They probably were given some freedom to wear what they wanted to—Sakura wore pants, Ino wore a short pencil skirt, while Hinata wore a skirt that went all the way down past her knees.

Sasuke couldn't deny that it suited her.

He eyed her for a moment; she was attending to her other tables, face still a tad red. She seemed to purposefully avoid even glancing in his general direction.

Another sip.

He pulled out his phone; Naruto had sent him a text. _'What u want, comin over l8r and im getting food from mcdonalds'_ it read.

Sasuke sighed. _'I don't like McDonalds, moron.'_ he replied.

' _so? just pick something'_

Another sigh. _'I don't remember the menu. Just get the least worst looking thing, I guess.'_ Send.

He looked up and all he saw was white.

Sasuke blinked.

"D-does h-he k-know?" stammered Hinata, who was standing just beside him. Her eyes were red.

"About?" Sasuke said. "Oh—right. No, he doesn't know a thing. I doubt he even knows…" He drifted off.

"K-knows w-what?"

"You don't want me to say," said Sasuke.

The look in her eyes told him 'no', but her lips said otherwise. "T-tell me."

Sasuke rubbed his forehead. "I doubt he even knows your name, to be honest."

Hinata frowned. "Y-yes h-he does," she insisted. "W-when I c-called S-Sakura-san, h-he picked up the phone and s-said my name!"

He pursed his lips together. This time, he had no need to even say the words—'You don't want me to tell say what the truth is.' But, she did.

"T-tell me," she repeated.

"He told me last night about him and Sakura's… personal time… being interrupted by you." A pause, and Sasuke looked her in the eye. "He mentioned that… the only reason he knew who you were was because of the caller ID. And that he didn't remember which one of Sakura's co-workers you were either."

There was a lump in her throat. "W-well, I—oh." Her knees shook. "H-he knows Ino's n-name…" was all she could manage to say.

"He does," Sasuke said.

Hinata hung her head.

Sasuke wasn't the empathizing type, but he tried to put himself in her shoes. To find out that someone you'd been in love with for a while now didn't even know your _name_... that had to be…

She turned and strode away, and though he couldn't see her face, Sasuke knew she was crying again.

He closed his eyes.

"I just wanted some coffee for God's sake…" he grumbled.

She didn't come back out for a while. By the time she was back, he had finished his coffee, left the money on the table, and left.

* * *

He was back, though, the very next day.

This time, it was only Sakura on the floor; it was slow, though, and she was lounging around in a corner when he pushed open the door.

"Sasuke-kun!" she greeted warmly, as he stepped up to a booth and slid into it. "Where's Naruto? He said he was coming."

"He'll be along in a little bit; he forgot something."

"Not surprising," said Sakura, smirking. "Same as usual, then?"

"Of course."

She was back in less than a minute with his coffee; he picked it up and took a sip. It was good as always.

"What did I want to tell you…?" Sakura tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, right. Hinata wanted me to tell you—" Sasuke tensed, but Sakura seemed not to notice. "-that she says thank you."

Sasuke blinked.

"Really?"

Sakura nodded. "She didn't say what for, though." Another pause. "Oh, and she also made sure to mention that she'd be happy to serve you whenever you came in. So long as you… I don't know what she means by this… don't breathe a word about _it_ to me or Naruto." Sakura pursed her lips together, tilting her head to the side curiously. "What's that mean, Sasuke?"

He paused, before taking a careful sip of his coffee.

"No idea," was his calm reply.

And she would get nothing else from him on the matter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: _Here's the second chapter; the third one's almost done as we speak. I'm not sure if this will be three or four chapters long, but we'll see. Enjoy._**

* * *

"When did you first meet N-Naruto-kun?" She felt a tinge of gidiness when she asked the question—surely, there had to be some amazing story behind the two of them becoming friends. Hinata was keen to find the truth behind it.

Sasuke glanced toward her, dark eyes half-lidded.

"We were kids, I don't remember how young, but I had to be pretty young since I was playing in the sand-box. He knocked over my sand castle that I'd spent two hours working on."

Hinata giggled, before clapping a hand over her mouth. Her cheeks reddened. "And w-what did you do?" she said, voice muffled owing to her hand still being over her lips.

"I sent his crying to his mother with a bloody nose," Sasuke told her.

She gave him an astonished look. "You d-did not!" Hinata gasped.

The man cracked a cocky smirk. "Our parents were on a bench just a few meters away," Sasuke continued. "My mother made me apologize to him." Hinata giggled once more—the mental image of Sasuke apologizing to someone was too much for her. "Afterward, though, his mother admitted that the idiot had deserved it for—her words, not mine—'knocking over such a sweet looking sand castle'."

"S-she did not!"

"You've never met his Mom," Sasuke murmured. "Trust me—she is not what you'd call a normal parent."

"And what happened afterw-wards?" Hinata asked softly.

"The next week, I saw him in the sand-box. Building a castle of his own." She already knew what he was about to say. "I knocked it over."

"Y-you didn't!"

"I did," Sasuke said. "We fought; I won. He ran off to his mother with scraped elbows and knees. I was grounded for a week—it was definitely worth it to see the look on his face."

Hinata sucked in a deep breath. "I-I don't see h-how a friendship managed to come from t-that kind of introduction," she admitted.

"It happens," said Sasuke. "The specifics after that don't really matter. We went to the same school, rode the same bus, had the same classes." He sipped at his coffee. "I should be getting home."

He stood up—Hinata took a step or two back as he slid out of the booth, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

Sasuke set the money on the table, then set out himself for the door.

"W-wait…" she said, just loud enough for him to hear. Sasuke turned—she shrunk back a little as his obsidian gaze bored into her.

"What?"

"My shift ends in fifteen m-minutes," Hinata mumbled. "Could I come to your house? I-if Naruto-k-kun isn't there, I mean."

"What for?"

Her cheeks pinkened. "I-I just…" She swallowed. "I-I just want to see his room. How he lives."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"... no."

Hinata blinked.

"W-w-why not?" she questioned.

"I'm no social guru, but that's weird, even for me," said Sasuke. "Why on Earth would I let you see his room?"

"B-b-because…"

She didn't have anything to add on to that.

"I'm not going to feed your obsession, neither am I going to violate his privacy like that," the Uchiha continued. "I can help you in another way, however."

"H-how?"

"By telling you this: _get over him_." Sasuke's gaze was crisp, clear—same as his words. "He and Sakura are not going to split any time soon. Naruto barely knows you, and you're not going to become his friend lest some miracle of nature happens in your favor. Get over him, or else you're doing nothing but wasting your time."

With that, he turned and left.

Hinata stood there; petrified.

Tears slowly began to trail down her cheeks.

There was a flurry of footsteps behind her—as if called by some supernatural force, Ino swept to her side a few moments later. "Hinata!" the blonde called. "What—what's wrong?"

Hinata grit her teeth; she couldn't see through her tears. She could feel the eyes of the other patrons in the store staring at her sides and back.

"I-it… S-Sasuke…" whimpered Hinata.

"Huh?" Ino said. "What about Sasuke—what did he do? You guys were just talking, you seemed fine…"

The indigo haired waitress let out a choked sort of sound, before borderline _sprinting_ into the back of the store. Ino followed after her quickly, already pulling out her phone.

"Sakura?" Ino said, staring at a sobbing Hinata with bewilderment. "I think you're going to need to have a talk with Sasuke."

" _... why?"_

* * *

"Hey! What the heck did you do to—!"

Apparently, it wasn't the best idea to rush up to someone with training in multiple fighting forms before they even had their morning coffee.

When Sakura stepped into the bedroom after her boyfriend, she wasn't surprised to find him with his arms wrenched behind his back, his head shoved into the sheets, the blonde struggling fruitlessly.

"What are you up to now, idiot?" Sasuke grumbled, not showing any sign of letting go.

Sakura strode up to him. And she poked him right in the gut, _hard_.

"In what world do you think it's—" She used a word that would have made Hinata squeal. "-okay to make _Hinata_ of all people sob her heart out at the tail-end of an eight hour shift?" She growled at the Uchiha. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself? An explanation? A defense? Well?"

"What can I say?" Sasuke said. "She gets on my nerves." He looked down toward Naruto. "And what are you doing here, idiot? You don't even know who she is."

"... do too!" was Naruto's muffled response as he kicked his legs in an attempt to buck himself free.

"She gets on your nerves?" Sakura roared. "That's your excuse? She gets on your _nerves_? God! You are… insufferable! And let my boyfriend go for God's sake!"

Sasuke kept at it for a few more seconds, before, reluctantly, letting Naruto up. The blonde retreated slightly, fists raised, though he looked a little worse for wear.

"I don't want to see you around that cafe again when Hinata's there," said Sakura. "She is not to serve you—only Ino and I from now on have that 'privilege'."

"Or what?"

"I'll call your mother."

* * *

Sasuke paused in the doorway.

A quick glance around told him that the only server on the floor, conveniently, was Hinata. The bell had already rung—she was already looking in his direction.

When she saw him, she did a sort of double-take, clearly half torn before running in the other direction and holding her ground.

He sighed, before turning around and making his way back out of the store. The bell rung again.

Not many shops were on this street—he'd have to go quite a ways to get to the next one. He wondered if their coffee was quite as—

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

He turned.

There she was, breathless and red-faced; it was clear she'd sprinted after him.

"I-I'm s-sorry for getting y-you in trouble!" said Hinata earnestly. "I—I overreacted! Y-you w-were just trying to help me… I'm sorry!"

Sasuke blinked.

"I practically got myself in trouble," he murmured. "So don't worry about it."

Hinata frowned ever so slightly. "H-how d-did y-you get yourself in trouble?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"Trying to keep your little secret," Sasuke told her. "I couldn't exactly let them know the truth."

"T-truth?"

He sighed. "That I was telling you to let Naruto go. I'm not the type to spill someone's secrets like that."

"W-what did you tell them i-instead?"

"That you got on my nerves."

"D-do I get on your nerves?"

He paused for an instant. "Sometimes," said Sasuke. "But less often than any other woman I know."

Hinata's lips twitched. "They t-told you not to be served by me again, did they?"

"Right."

"W-well…" She cleared her throat. "It's the policy of the owner that _all_ customers are to be served in our establishment unless grevious circumstances prevent us from doing so. And if I'm the only person on the floor and there's a customer waiting to be taken care of, it's my duty to look after them."

"I see," Sasuke said.

Hinata smiled—it was a brilliant, vibrant one.

"Why are you smiling like that?" he questioned.

"Because you are," was her reply.

He _was_ smiling. It was slight, hardly noticeable, but he was.

Of course, the second he noticed, it was wiped off his face to be replaced by a scowl. But the simple fact of seeing Uchiha Sasuke smile—if just a little—had Hinata legitimately grinning.

"I'll see you in a moment, _sir_ ," Hinata said, turning and hurrying back to the store.

Sasuke froze for a few seconds. Had he really… smiled?

That wasn't a regular occurance.

With some hesitation, he followed after her.

* * *

He sat in his usual booth; Hinata was, again, the only server on the floor at the time. She was rather busy though, bouncing back and forth, though still looking impeccable. Her indigo hair bobbed up and down in the high ponytail she'd tied it into.

When she finally got a moment of rest, she gravitated toward his table.

"I h-hate working alone sometimes," Hinata admitted to him, using the pretext of refilling his coffee mug to lean against his table and catch a brief moment of rest.

"It happens," said Sasuke. "I wanted to show you something; it'll only take a second."

"W-what is it?"

He pulled out his phone; a moment later, he showed her what he'd wanted to show her.

It was a picture of a bedroom. An unspeakably filthy bedroom with ramen cups and clothes and just all sorts of things strewn everywhere. The sheets were orange and the pillows blue, a dingy TV camped in a corner.

"W-w-what's that?" Hinata murmured, nose scrunching up. She could almost imagine the foul odor.

"Naruto's room," said Sasuke nonchalantly.

"R-really?"

He shrugged.

"A picture or two won't hurt him."

Hinata blushed prettily. "T-thank you," she said quietly, watching as Sasuke put his phone away.

"Not a problem."

There was a soft smile on her face as she went back to work.

* * *

She heard the bell ring when she was in the back, pulling two plates of food from the window. Hefting them up, bony arms carrying them with ease, she glided back into the store proper, swiftly heading to the proper table and setting the plates down.

"E-enjoy!" she stuttered, before whirling around to see who had come in.

There was Sasuke. But, there was a woman sitting across from him—an older woman, who looked near exactly like him. Black eyes and hair, fair skin. She was either his (much) older sister or his mother.

Hinata put on her bravest face.

"T-the u-usual, Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked as she walked up to them.

"Yeah," said Sasuke.

"And y-you, ma'am?"

The woman smiled a toothy smile at Hinata. "Just some green tea, dear. Bring a pot if you can—I don't want you running back and forth every few seconds."

"Y-yes, ma'am."

As she walked away, she heard the words—"Who's she, Sasuke?"-come from the woman.

She returned with a platter, coffee and pot of tea and empty mug prepared. Setting it down on an adjacent booth, she carefully placed it down in front of them.

"No sugar or sweetener?" said the woman.

Hinata swallowed nervously. "R-right there, ma'am," she said, pointing past the two of them toward the end of the booth, where a small container with three kinds of sweetener and sugar inside sat.

"Ah, I see," she said. For some reason, Hinata had the slight suspicion that she was being tested. Still anxious, she went to attend to another table's needs. Again, she heard words spoken behind her. "Backbone," the woman said. "More than the most of them, at least."

"All she did was point out where the sugar was," was Sasuke's reply. Hinata was still in ear-shot.

"You'd be surprised how many waitresses would simply disappear into the back and bring me out some, instead of pointing it out to me like that." The woman was probably smiling that same toothy smile. "They might be afraid that I'd think they were insulting me, or any other silly little—"

After that, she didn't hear a word.

The tables began to thin out before long and soon she was given a break to rest. She tried to stop herself, but habit dictate that she gravitate toward Sasuke's table.

"Hinata?" the woman said.

"Y-yes?" she asked. It occurred to her that she hadn't told this woman what her name was.

"You're absolutely gorgeous, sweetie," the woman continued. Hinata flushed crimson. "But, I don't see more than a hint of makeup on you. No alterations, nothing like that. What's your secret? Share it with an old woman like me—I won't tell, I promise!"

Hinata put on her best smile. "A h-healthy diet and g-good genes, ma'am."

"They've told me that one before, but no matter what kind of jeans I buy it doesn't seem to help."

Sasuke shook his head; it took Hinata a moment to process what the woman had said.

When she did, she giggled quite loudly. The woman smirked in a way reminiscent of Sasuke.

"Sasuke here told me that he's been coming here for about two months now," the woman said. "And he says that you're his preferred waitress. I have to ask—how many times has he made you cry by now? Be honest."

Hinata giggled again. "O-once," she said.

"Only once? I'm impressed, Sasuke."

"Mother…" Sasuke mumbled, a forlorn look on his face.

"I've seen the hardiest of teachers babble like little toddlers in front of this boy," Sasuke's mom said. "And yet you seem to be resistant. Perhaps, that's a sign?"

A flush crept up Hinata's neck. Sasuke looked away.

"A sign that you two should…"

They both grimaced in advance.

"... get to know each other better, of course. Have you even met outside of this place before?"

They both blinked. Sasuke had already braced himself for his mom to drop a wonderful—'you two should start dating!'-as she'd done many times before to horrific effect.

"Well, I-I did c-chase him out of here once…" Hinata mumbled weakly.

"That doesn't count," said Sasuke's mom. "Exchange numbers; go out and see a movie or something. That's what friends do."

"Who said we were friends?" Sasuke said.

His mom sighed. Then leaned forward and pinched his cheek—he recoiled, groaning. "Shut up," she said sweetly. Hinata giggled once more.

One of her tables flagged her down and Hinata swept away. Sasuke glanced at her back for a moment, his mother flashing him a knowing look.

A few minutes later, she dropped a check at their table, along with a small piece of paper.

Sasuke blinked. He paid in cash, always—he knew the exact price so there was no need. Why had she—?

He looked at the paper, and there, scribbled in pretty handwriting, was a phone-number.

Also, a small note beneath that.

' _Your mom is terrifyingly persuasive.'_

He cracked the smallest of smiles.

* * *

She dragged a brush through her hair, staring at herself in the mirror that was perched across from her. Hinata sat cross legged on her bed, clad in a tank-top and some shorts, humming a little song under her breath. It was her first of two days in a row off—the sun gently set in the distance.

Her phone buzzed.

Hinata picked it up—it was a text from an unknown number.

' _I heard Sakura mention that she was working with Ino tomorrow_ , _so I presume you don't have to work. There's a restaurant that I've heard good things about—want to go there tomorrow?'_

She found herself beaming at the text.

' _Sure, what time?'_

' _I'll pick you up at six,'_ was his reply a few moments later. _'What's your address?'_

Hinata texted him her address—with some anxiety if not reluctance, heart thumping in her ears. After that, she also added— _'Is it a fancy or a casual restaurant?'_

' _Casual. See you tomorrow.'_

She stared at those words—see you tomorrow. For a good minute or two, until the screen on her phone dimmed out as it timed out from inactivity. When that happened, she was shaken from her stupor.

Grinning from ear to ear, Hinata returned to brushing her hair.

"Maybe," she mumbled under her breath. "I ought to get Ino's help to figure out what to wear…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review if you liked it; as always, have an awesome day.  
**


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